You could see the discomfort and anger on their faces in the Common at PM Questions this week. None of them wanted to be here. They are angry their Leader let Mandleson back into top decision making and astonished that he did not realise the Ambassador job opened them all up to dangerous revelations and enquiries. Those of us who remember the Mandleson of old advised not to hire him. The known continuing Epstein connection made it particularly inflammatory. Why didn’t Starmer understand the last thing President Trump wanted was someone in meetings in the Oval Office with direct links to the paedophile.
Some of them hated Mandleson for being a Blairite, too right wing for them. They resented the continuing Blairite tendency in a party they wished to take further left. They disliked suggestions Mandleson had wider influence with Starmer over strengthening the less left wing personnel and tendencies in government. Others more relaxed about the Blairite trend now with hindsight cannot understand why the PM took the risk.
There is nothing more wearing for backbench MPs than to be asked to defend a government which regularly makes bad decisions, demands loyalty to them and then U turns. It makes any MP that is loyal look weak and stupid when they have to change their views all of a sudden. Labour MP s have had a lot of this from this weak leadership. Pips, Pensioner fuel benefit, Business rates on pubs, the farms tax and many others have seen partial reversals.
The problem the MPs have is changing a bad PM could make things worse if they choose a worse one. The left do not think Starmer left enough despite his over spending, over taxing, over borrowing, his faillure to control migration and his enthusiasm for international law.They may not understand a lurch further left could make things worse. Markets might take their revenge if finances are stretched more. Voters could desert in bigger numbers.
Burnham is not available, banned by Starmer from a by election. Rayner still hasnt sorted out her tax affairs. Why sack a man for his bad calls on people to go for someone who had to resign over a tax scandal? Miliband is popular in the party but backing even more of his extreme net zero policy would close more industry, drive energy dearer and alienate more motorists and homeowners. Streeting is thought to be too right wing though everything is relative and he moves left with the prize in his eyes.
So far Labour MP s have bottled it. They cannot agree on a replacement so have not broken cover to trigger an election. Looking at the candidates they would not help steady the ship or rekindle growth. The truth is they all knew Mandleson and worked with him. Many praised his appointment.
February 7, 2026
Good morning.
Better the devil you know than the one you do not.
For me the PM is doing a fantastic job. For as long as I have been posting here I have always wanted the end to the LibLabCON triopoly. Each works with the other and does not offer the electorate what they want or what has been promised. They have debased their brand and traded in political beliefs for comfort of position.
The pantomime is coming to an end. We have seen beyond the curtain and, no matter the hardship the end result will be worth it – total fragmentation of politics.
As I have said here before. When every MP and political party have to sweat blood and tears for every last vote, then and and only then we will have democracy. The days of voting for a particular rosette are coming to an end, and people like Major, Blair, Cameron, May, Johnson and Starmer have had their part to play.
February 7, 2026
We need more than that for any real democracy.
A. We know that politicians rarely even try to do as they promise before elections.
B. Far too much power rests with the blob, quangos, lawyers, international bodies, civil servants, offcom, the climate change committee, laws like net zero…
C. FPTP voting also often prevent people voting for whom they want without wasting their vote. Generally you have only one, two or occasionally three candidates with any real chance. Any other vote is not worth wasting your shoe leather and the pencil graphite on.
February 7, 2026
what the public want is basic honesty and decency from everyone on the public payroll. they want British values to be defined properly, as we all understand them, and not the perverted version fashionable in the blob. they want a meritocracy, more power in the individuals hands and less in the state. the main parties all have a problem, they engineer an inefficient country which cannot compete, they negotiate away our strengths. the lefty takeover of schools and education has taught masses of people now, and created people who believe in failed ways of running things. Labour being a mess is just a symptom of far bigger problems in society.
February 7, 2026
What should they do? Well they should question why they were so dim as to joint such an evil politics of envy, net zero, anti-growth, tax to death party and elect a leader who will fully U turn on almost every issue.
A good Sceptic videos podcast – The Electrification Delusion – Kathryn Porter exposing the dangerous May and Miliband insanities!